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Old 09-11-2010, 06:22 PM   #1
Bookworm_Anna
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E-book reader for high school student?

Hello. I'm a high school junior, and since I've had my noise in a book since forever, a e-book reader seems like a good idea. However, it's a lot of money for someone in high school, and I'd like it to be something that will last, at least through college. I'm at a lose on what to chose, I have a few ideas, but I wanted to get some feedback from other users.
I'm thinking either the Kindle 3 WiFi or the Nook WiFi, but I'm open to other stuff. The top of my price range is $150. Being able to read outside is important, and I'd really like to be able to read fanfic on it too[like harrypotterfanfiction.net, fanfiction.net and twilighted.net]. It would probably be easiest to get most of my books from Amazon. I like the look of the Nook, but I'm sure there's cons there that I'm missing. Any input or advice would be much appreciated!
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Old 09-11-2010, 09:56 PM   #2
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Welcome to MobileRead, bookwormanna.

From being a junior thru college? Thats a long time for an ebook reader to last........prices are going down all the timed, and new models are coming out consistently. By the time you get to college, you'll need to read textbooks on it, so make sure you device can support that.

The kindle is a great device, and has great customer support.

Best of luck.
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Old 09-12-2010, 01:57 AM   #3
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Lets see, 6 years should be doable... but you have to be careful with it. A good bet might be the outgoing Sony PRS300. It should let you do most everything you want it to (well except buy books from Amazon), but its metal case and slightly smaller screen hopefully will make it more durable. The only negative from a longevity stand point is that the battery is not easily replaceable.

Just my thought on the matter.
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Old 09-12-2010, 11:23 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookworm_Anna View Post
I'm thinking either the Kindle 3 WiFi or the Nook WiFi, but I'm open to other stuff. The top of my price range is $150. Being able to read outside is important, and I'd really like to be able to read fanfic on it too[like harrypotterfanfiction.net, fanfiction.net and twilighted.net]. It would probably be easiest to get most of my books from Amazon. I like the look of the Nook, but I'm sure there's cons there that I'm missing. Any input or advice would be much appreciated!
Either of those will do you fine. They're solid, quality products.
You're going about it the right way: focusing on the books first. Stick to that approach.
You first need to determine where you're going to get your DRM'ed books.
Then decide how much control you need over screen presentation; font face, size, margins, line-spacing, presence/absence of header/footer bars, alignment, etc.
Decide if library ebook access matters to *you*.
Decide if limited web-surfing/downloads matters.
Decide if support for Audible audio books matters.
Decide if text-to-speech matters.
Decide if SD-card expandability matters.
Decide if loaning *some* books out *once* per book-lifetime matters.
Decide if touchscreen matters more than wireless.
Decide if dictionary support matters to you.
Decide if in-book search matters to you.
Decide if note-taking matters and how much.
Decide how much the extra contrast of a Pearl eink screen matters to you.

It's your money, your reader, your choice.
Different people have different needs, different biases. There is no reader that can/will satisfy everybody; you just need a reader that will satisfy you. Today.
As for the future...
Well, with a bit of care, the hardware will likely last you as long as you'd like, so you'll be okay there.
However... In the consumer electronics business 5 years is a lifetime. The game is just geting started and there *will* be newer readers with significantly better feature sets coming down the pipe. And prices *will* come down, eventually. If there is a "must-have" feature missing from your affordable choices, you'll have to choose between waiting or going a bit higher. Which, might entail waiting. This is why you need to go through that list of options (and others I've missed; draw up your own specs) and decide what matters to you and how much.

Your budget is reasonable; there are quite a few quality readers available in that range with more to come within the next month or so.

What you need to do is get the reader that best meets your needs for now (and the near term) and let the future take care of yourself; as long as you're using the reader now and not letting it sit in a desk drawer somewhere you *will* get your money's worth.

Prioritize your desirable features, see how the available models meet your needs and if you're comfortable with the match, go for it. Afterwards, don't look back; don't second guess yourself. Whichever reader you get will not be your last. There will be other fun toys coming down the pipe, eventually. But between here and there you'll be doing a lot of reading, no? Remember, its not about the gadget, it's about you and your books.

Have fun!

Last edited by fjtorres; 09-12-2010 at 11:26 AM.
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Old 09-12-2010, 12:10 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by fjtorres View Post
Either of those will do you fine. They're solid, quality products.

Have fun!
+Rep - Very nice writeup with a well rounded list of features that one needs to decide on to narrow down a choice.

As a PRS-300 owner I can vouch for the durability of the unit. And it is a pleasure to read on.
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Old 09-12-2010, 12:35 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by desertgrandma View Post
Welcome to MobileRead, bookwormanna.

From being a junior thru college? Thats a long time for an ebook reader to last........prices are going down all the timed, and new models are coming out consistently. By the time you get to college, you'll need to read textbooks on it, so make sure you device can support that.

The kindle is a great device, and has great customer support.

Best of luck.
never thought of the textbook thing-that's a really great point

Quote:
Originally Posted by bill_mchale View Post
Lets see, 6 years should be doable... but you have to be careful with it. A good bet might be the outgoing Sony PRS300. It should let you do most everything you want it to (well except buy books from Amazon), but its metal case and slightly smaller screen hopefully will make it more durable. The only negative from a longevity stand point is that the battery is not easily replaceable.

Just my thought on the matter.
yeah, i'm super care with and protective of any tech stuff i have.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres View Post
Either of those will do you fine. They're solid, quality products.
You're going about it the right way: focusing on the books first. Stick to that approach.
You first need to determine where you're going to get your DRM'ed books.
Then decide how much control you need over screen presentation; font face, size, margins, line-spacing, presence/absence of header/footer bars, alignment, etc.might be nice...
Decide if library ebook access matters to *you*.maybe...depends on what my library has...
Decide if limited web-surfing/downloads matters.would be nice for fanfic reading
Decide if support for Audible audio books matters.not so much. i like seeing the words :P
Decide if text-to-speech matters.could be useful, not a big deal, though
Decide if SD-card expandability matters.does it? how many books do i really need to have on the device? doesn't the kindle hold somewhere like 3000? course, that doesn't do anything for me if i go with another one, lol
Decide if loaning *some* books out *once* per book-lifetime matters.nope. don't care about that.
Decide if touchscreen matters more than wireless.i like the wireless better i think. a small touch strip, like on the nook would be okay, but a full touch screen isn't what i'm looking for
Decide if dictionary support matters to you.that would be a really good thing for college
Decide if in-book search matters to you.again, useful for college
Decide if note-taking matters and how much.eh.
Decide how much the extra contrast of a Pearl eink screen matters to you.ya'll could probably tell me how much it matters better than i can figure it out myself...

It's your money, your reader, your choice.
Different people have different needs, different biases. There is no reader that can/will satisfy everybody; you just need a reader that will satisfy you. Today.
As for the future...
Well, with a bit of care, the hardware will likely last you as long as you'd like, so you'll be okay there.
However... In the consumer electronics business 5 years is a lifetime. The game is just geting started and there *will* be newer readers with significantly better feature sets coming down the pipe. And prices *will* come down, eventually. If there is a "must-have" feature missing from your affordable choices, you'll have to choose between waiting or going a bit higher. Which, might entail waiting. This is why you need to go through that list of options (and others I've missed; draw up your own specs) and decide what matters to you and how much.

Your budget is reasonable; there are quite a few quality readers available in that range with more to come within the next month or so.

What you need to do is get the reader that best meets your needs for now (and the near term) and let the future take care of yourself; as long as you're using the reader now and not letting it sit in a desk drawer somewhere you *will* get your money's worth.

Prioritize your desirable features, see how the available models meet your needs and if you're comfortable with the match, go for it. Afterwards, don't look back; don't second guess yourself. Whichever reader you get will not be your last. There will be other fun toys coming down the pipe, eventually. But between here and there you'll be doing a lot of reading, no? Remember, its not about the gadget, it's about you and your books.

Have fun!
thanks for that list, it really helped. i liked the idea of having something smaller to use for reading books, and i figured it'd help me, down the road, avoid moving into my first place without bookcases everywhere[i'm sure i'll still have some]. but i hadn't really thought about how useful it could be for college stuff.

Last edited by Bookworm_Anna; 09-12-2010 at 12:39 PM.
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Old 09-12-2010, 12:38 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by fjtorres View Post
What you need to do is get the reader that best meets your needs for now (and the near term) and let the future take care of itself[fixed!]; as long as you're using the reader now and not letting it sit in a desk drawer somewhere you *will* get your money's worth.

Prioritize your desirable features, see how the available models meet your needs and if you're comfortable with the match, go for it. Afterwards, don't look back; don't second guess yourself. Whichever reader you get will not be your last. There will be other fun toys coming down the pipe, eventually. But between here and there you'll be doing a lot of reading, no? Remember, its not about the gadget, it's about you and your books.

Have fun!
Amen! Anna, your eBook reader will probably pay for itself before you matriculate, so I wouldn't worry about what might be best for you two years from now.

After you have selected what's important to you from fjt's excellent checklist, come back to us with your preferences, and we can give you intelligent recommendations.
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Old 09-12-2010, 04:42 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookworm_Anna View Post
1- Then decide how much control you need over screen presentation; font face, size, margins, line-spacing, presence/absence of header/footer bars, alignment, etc.might be nice...
2- Decide if library ebook access matters to *you*.maybe...depends on what my library has...
3- Decide if limited web-surfing/downloads matters.would be nice for fanfic reading
4- Decide if support for Audible audio books matters.not so much. i like seeing the words :P
5- Decide if text-to-speech matters.could be useful, not a big deal, though
6- Decide if SD-card expandability matters.does it? how many books do i really need to have on the device? doesn't the kindle hold somewhere like 3000? course, that doesn't do anything for me if i go with another one, lol
7- Decide if loaning *some* books out *once* per book-lifetime matters.nope. don't care about that.
8- Decide if touchscreen matters more than wireless.i like the wireless better i think. a small touch strip, like on the nook would be okay, but a full touch screen isn't what i'm looking for
9- Decide if dictionary support matters to you.that would be a really good thing for college
10- Decide if in-book search matters to you.again, useful for college
11- Decide if note-taking matters and how much.eh.
12- Decide how much the extra contrast of a Pearl eink screen matters to you.ya'll could probably tell me how much it matters better than i can figure it out myself...


thanks for that list, it really helped. i liked the idea of having something smaller to use for reading books, and i figured it'd help me, down the road, avoid moving into my first place without bookcases everywhere[i'm sure i'll still have some]. but i hadn't really thought about how useful it could be for college stuff.
Round two:

1- Nice means you can live without and won't pay extra for it. Pretty much rules out the Pocketbook line. (I like the PB360 but it's strength is customization and if customization isn't all that important...)
2- Research it. Yes, Homework! We're a tough crowd here. It's a strong discriminator: Nook does it, Kindle doesn't (not easily).
3- Think about it. It could be your discriminator between Kindle and other wireless readers.
4- Some folks love audio ebooks. Kindle is the only one to support Audible.
5- See #4. Plus, several other vendors are adding TTS as a cost-justifier. No need to worry about them if it buys you nothing.
6- Kindle has 4GB storage, yes. If you don't do MP3s or audio ebooks it'll go further. You can also use the wireless to connect to your own PC to extend your reading pool. If you go with Nook and get an SD card that's an extra $10-20. Factor in all possible extra costs. Like... a cover?
7- That is a NOOK defining trait.
8- You pretty much excluded the new Sony readers here (PRS-350, PRS650) plus the old PRS-600 which can be had on sale someplaces.
9- Kindle and Nook, both yes; Sony PRS-300, no.
10- Kindle and Nook, both yes.
11- I gather you're not looking to major in literature, then.
12- No, actually that one is all yours. Your money, your eyeballs. Good news: Kindle should be coming to a Staples or Best Buy near you in the next month or so. Then you'll see how the Pearl screen works for you.

Looks like your first read is pretty close to the mark: for your budget, the choice of wireless reader is most likely going to come down to Kindle vs Nook, which means you *really* need to research your local library and decide how much to weigh library access vs the Kindle's browser, lower cost, and newer screen. (And yes, if you hunt around you should find a Kindle case for around $10 to stay within budget. )

Last edited by fjtorres; 09-12-2010 at 04:45 PM.
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Old 09-12-2010, 05:13 PM   #9
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if reading outside a touch ereader glare is bad if its is for school u might wait for the android tablet there is one for 99dollars
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Old 09-12-2010, 06:33 PM   #10
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I would see if your library uses Overdirve or another source for ebooks and audiobooks, and what formats they have available. I didn't think I'd use my Nook for library books, but it is great for books I'm not sure if I want to buy.

I believe both B&N and Amazon sell textbooks, so you should be covered there. You would probably want to take notes then if you use your reader for school. Do you think a physical keypad or touch screen would be preferable? I would go to B&N and play with the Nook a lot. Take notes and highlights, see if it's to your liking. When the K3 comes in you can try out the same thing on it (or use the Kindle 2 for now).

Also, I listen to audiobooks. You may change your mind someday. They are great while exercising, cleaning, driving etc... Both Kindle and Nook play them, but Kindle supports Audible (which a lot of people don't use). I don't use my Nook for audiobooks though, I love my phone for that.

From the sounds of it so far, you would probably be happy with either device.
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Old 09-12-2010, 06:51 PM   #11
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I recommend you stay away from cheap tablets. They tend to get really bad reviews.

As desertgrandma pointed out, lasting through college would be quite a lifespan for dedicated ebook readers today. Amazon is coming up on the third anniversary of the original Kindle this year and they've just released the third generation of the device. Technology changes fast and by the time you hit college, you're probably going to want something better or more up-to-date. If the idea of this turns you off, you might be better off waiting for college (ask for one as graduation present ). You seem to suggest that textbooks were not a consideration, which is to be expected from a high school student. High schools give you whatever books they give you, and that's the end of that, pretty much. However, in college you're going to be looking for all sorts of ways to cut down costs on textbooks. Unfortunately for me, the books I've needed haven't been available for the Kindle. A friend of mine, on the other hand, said this semester he was able to find most of his books on the Kindle. Amazon is really putting an effort into getting more textbooks onto the Kindle. In my opinion, current eink screens make for a poor textbook experience. They're kind of a pain in the ass to work with when you're studying and you need to flip back and forth quickly between pages. The search function is nice, but it can be slower than tabbed pages. Images also tend to be low quality and graph support isn't that great. These limitations generally apply to more technical books. The Kindle (or any ebook reader) is great for linear reading--i.e. any book you're going to read beginning to end without jumping back and forth between references and such.

Something better is going to come along by the time you graduate high school. The tablet market is still new and color eink screens and mirasol screens are rumored to be just on the horizon. When I was in high school, I often relied on my computer for reading ebooks because I didn't have the money to go buy all the books I wanted to read. I would have LOVED to have something like the Kindle in high school. But you really need to weigh the costs and benefits. If you think that you could afford an ebook reader today and another one a couple years from now (or if you think you could finagle one out of your parents, more power to you, haha), then by all means, go for it. They are great for reading fiction and you'll probably find yourself reading more than you did before. Otherwise, I recommend you just wait for college. By that time an ebook reader will be more useful for you and you will have a more capable device.

When it comes to the actual Nook vs Kindle debate, I'm very biased. I've owned every generation of the 6" Kindle after I made the switch from the Sony PRS-500. I think Amazon has really made the best device and I think they definitely have the best ebook store. Their customer service is also superb. That being said, I love Barnes & Noble as a book store. I go there all the time. Almost every time I'm there, I play with the Nook. They've made a lot of great improvements since it first came out. It's much less buggy and it's more responsive. For me, however, it still doesn't measure up. Highlighting, note taking, and dictionary lookup are all better implemented on the Kindle, in my opinion. Using the touch screen to control what's happening on the eink screen is sometimes difficult because I find myself trying to concentrate on two screens at once. I think tactile controls on the Kindle make for a much better experience. Also, if you do ever decide to use the Kindle for textbooks, you'll probably have more options at Amazon.com than BN.com, though that may change as B&N ramps up their competitive efforts. The Kindle also allows for web browsing over 3G, meaning you'd be able to access sites like fanfiction.net from anywhere. Since I got my Kindle 3, I've been using the browser even more than I did before because the newly introduced article mode makes reading in the the browser a much nicer experience than before.

I hope this helped some with your decision-making process. Good luck!

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Old 09-12-2010, 09:46 PM   #12
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Round two:

1- Nice means you can live without and won't pay extra for it. Pretty much rules out the Pocketbook line. (I like the PB360 but it's strength is customization and if customization isn't all that important...)
2- Research it. Yes, Homework! We're a tough crowd here. It's a strong discriminator: Nook does it, Kindle doesn't (not easily).
3- Think about it. It could be your discriminator between Kindle and other wireless readers.
4- Some folks love audio ebooks. Kindle is the only one to support Audible.
5- See #4. Plus, several other vendors are adding TTS as a cost-justifier. No need to worry about them if it buys you nothing.
6- Kindle has 4GB storage, yes. If you don't do MP3s or audio ebooks it'll go further. You can also use the wireless to connect to your own PC to extend your reading pool. If you go with Nook and get an SD card that's an extra $10-20. Factor in all possible extra costs. Like... a cover?
7- That is a NOOK defining trait.
8- You pretty much excluded the new Sony readers here (PRS-350, PRS650) plus the old PRS-600 which can be had on sale someplaces.
9- Kindle and Nook, both yes; Sony PRS-300, no.
10- Kindle and Nook, both yes.
11- I gather you're not looking to major in literature, then.
12- No, actually that one is all yours. Your money, your eyeballs. Good news: Kindle should be coming to a Staples or Best Buy near you in the next month or so. Then you'll see how the Pearl screen works for you.

Looks like your first read is pretty close to the mark: for your budget, the choice of wireless reader is most likely going to come down to Kindle vs Nook, which means you *really* need to research your local library and decide how much to weigh library access vs the Kindle's browser, lower cost, and newer screen. (And yes, if you hunt around you should find a Kindle case for around $10 to stay within budget. )
thanks for all the help. it would have taken me weeks to come up with all those questions and then find the answers
[and i'm thinking i'll probably major in a science field, much to my mother's shock]
i also have no problem with homework, i love learning[and i'm a home schooler, so 'real' homework almost never happens.
there's no way to get lib. e-books on a kindle ?



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Originally Posted by SpiderMatt View Post
I recommend you stay away from cheap tablets. They tend to get really bad reviews.

As desertgrandma pointed out, lasting through college would be quite a lifespan for dedicated ebook readers today. Amazon is coming up on the third anniversary of the original Kindle this year and they've just released the third generation of the device. Technology changes fast and by the time you hit college, you're probably going to want something better or more up-to-date. If the idea of this turns you off, you might be better off waiting for college (ask for one as graduation present ). You seem to suggest that textbooks were not a consideration, which is to be expected from a high school student. High schools give you whatever books they give you, and that's the end of that, pretty much. However, in college you're going to be looking for all sorts of ways to cut down costs on textbooks. Unfortunately for me, the books I've needed haven't been available for the Kindle. A friend of mine, on the other hand, said this semester he was able to find most of his books on the Kindle. Amazon is really putting an effort into getting more textbooks onto the Kindle. In my opinion, current eink screens make for a poor textbook experience. They're kind of a pain in the ass to work with when you're studying and you need to flip back and forth quickly between pages. The search function is nice, but it can be slower than tabbed pages. Images also tend to be low quality and graph support isn't that great. These limitations generally apply to more technical books. The Kindle (or any ebook reader) is great for linear reading--i.e. any book you're going to read beginning to end without jumping back and forth between references and such.

Something better is going to come along by the time you graduate high school. The tablet market is still new and color eink screens and mirasol screens are rumored to be just on the horizon. When I was in high school, I often relied on my computer for reading ebooks because I didn't have the money to go buy all the books I wanted to read. I would have LOVED to have something like the Kindle in high school. But you really need to weigh the costs and benefits. If you think that you could afford an ebook reader today and another one a couple years from now (or if you think you could finagle one out of your parents, more power to you, haha), then by all means, go for it. They are great for reading fiction and you'll probably find yourself reading more than you did before. Otherwise, I recommend you just wait for college. By that time an ebook reader will be more useful for you and you will have a more capable device.

When it comes to the actual Nook vs Kindle debate, I'm very biased. I've owned every generation of the 6" Kindle after I made the switch from the Sony PRS-500. I think Amazon has really made the best device and I think they definitely have the best ebook store. Their customer service is also superb. That being said, I love Barnes & Noble as a book store. I go there all the time. Almost every time I'm there, I play with the Nook. They've made a lot of great improvements since it first came out. It's much less buggy and it's more responsive. For me, however, it still doesn't measure up. Highlighting, note taking, and dictionary lookup are all better implemented on the Kindle, in my opinion. Using the touch screen to control what's happening on the eink screen is sometimes difficult because I find myself trying to concentrate on two screens at once. I think tactile controls on the Kindle make for a much better experience. Also, if you do ever decide to use the Kindle for textbooks, you'll probably have more options at Amazon.com than BN.com, though that may change as B&N ramps up their competitive efforts. The Kindle also allows for web browsing over 3G, meaning you'd be able to access sites like fanfiction.net from anywhere. Since I got my Kindle 3, I've been using the browser even more than I did before because the newly introduced article mode makes reading in the the browser a much nicer experience than before.

I hope this helped some with your decision-making process. Good luck!
yeah, that helps a lot. i'm a plan-ahead kind of person[so it's killing me i don't already have a major picked and a school finalized...eh...not going there...], so i'm trying to systematically update or get any tech stuff[mp3 player(have a plan for that, i'm so happy!), e-reader, camera] that i don't have or might need/want new[er] in college. it's been implied that a laptop is going to be coming my way at graduation, so i'm working on either asking for stuff as gifts or buying it myself between now and then. i might end up waiting until christmas 2011 for this....maybe...
i actually had never thought about the textbook thing until you guys mentioned it, but i'm sitting here watching the heavy bookbag disappear, and really liking that idea. is it something i'm going to have a easy time using for textbooks, or is it really frustrating?
i liked the nook better when i was just seeing them around, but i'm starting to feel like the touch screen at the bottom would be a pain, esp. for notes and stuff.

Last edited by Bookworm_Anna; 09-12-2010 at 09:52 PM.
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Old 09-12-2010, 10:39 PM   #13
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Yes, there is a way to get library ebooks on Kindle but it hinges on:
1- The library offering Mobipocket-format DRM'ed ebooks (some do, some don't)
2- using a "proscribed" kindlepid utility that generates a (generally) valid Mobipocket Product ID number (PID) from your Kindle's serial number. This PID could once (but no longer can) be used to remove DRM from purchased ebooks, hence the proscription. The utility is easy to find online along with instructions on how to use it. Just not here. The powers that be don't like it.
If you look into the Kindle forum there are plenty of reports of people who have gotten library ebooks successfully unto their Kindles. And they expire at the end of the loan period as they should.

On the textbook front, don't get your hopes up; at this point there is no ebook reader that has been tested in academic environments and resulted in an unqualified success. Look into other threads in this forum for "Academic Readers" and you'll see that the requirements are closer to a Tablet PC that they are to today's ebook readers.
It may yet happen, but not soon.

Finally, two off-topic observations:
1- Anybody who observes young children in detail quickly notices that they observe, experiment, and theorize about the world around them as they grow up. Which is to say, we are all born scientists. It is only later that society and the education system beats it out of some of us. If your home schooling experience allowed you to retain your innate sense of wonder and curiosity about how the world works that could be seen as a sign of a job well done. (See how that flies with your surprised mother.)

2- If you haven't already, check out the Baen Free Library at www.webscription.net for dozens of free high-quality ebooks (available DRM-free) and in multiple formats including some (HTML, rtf) that don't even need an ebook reader.
Also, because Baen is one of the few publishers that really, really "gets" ebooks, they offer a couple dozen Promo CDs' worth of free ebooks that come with select hardcover releases (the next one will come with Lois McMaster Bujold's eagerly-awaited CRYOBURN, in a month or so) and online, legally-for-free, at: http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/ You might want to check them out if SF and/or Fantasy appeals to you. (I'm taking a wild guess and thinking it might be possible. ) A good starting point might be Bujold's MOUNTAINS OF MOURNING, David Weber's ON BASILISK STATION or David Drake's WITH THE LIGHTNINGS and their free sequels. (A bit of warning: some of the characters in the latter two series tend to cuss like (space) sailors. Cause they *are*. ) I'm a big Fan myself of Miles Vorkosigan (and his Mother Cordelia Naismith), Adele Mundy (the librarian from he**), and Honor Harrington, the ass-kickingest female starship Captain the genre has seen in ages. On the fantasy side, Rick Cook's WIZARD'S BANE is a fun read for anybody with even a hint of a techie exposure.
Check'em out; there is fun to be had.

Last edited by fjtorres; 09-12-2010 at 10:44 PM. Reason: typos
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Old 09-12-2010, 11:58 PM   #14
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There's a good chance that e-textbooks are not going to factor a whole lot into your college experience. Like I said before, as of right now, images tend to be low quality and charts and graphs don't look great (and they're usually given in the form of those low-quality images). Since you're thinking of going into a scientific field, it will probably harder for you to find the textbooks you need and even if they exist, you may prefer the paper edition for studying. Fjtorres pointed out that there haven't been any real success stories for e-textbooks on campus, yet. Amazon partnered with five schools that decided to try out the Kindle DX in the classroom. Most students said it was nice to have a lighter book bag but studying on the Kindle was kind of a pain in the ass. So your decision should not hinge on textbook availability, but I thought it might at least be worth considering. You might wind up finding some books for some gen ed courses and saving a little money. Just don't bank on it.

If you learn how to strip DRM, you can put any ebooks from anywhere on the Kindle. There is, of course, an ethical question here. It is technically illegal to circumvent encryption protecting intellectual property, but it's pretty inconsequential. If you keep the books to yourself, then the fact that you've done it is virtually undetectable. So it really is pretty much just an ethical question. Epub is more frequently becoming the popular format for digital libraries. Sans DRM, the program Calibre can convert a number of formats, including epub, into Kindle's mobipocket format. I don't think anyone should be limited by their hardware or software if they can use alternative methods to put otherwise legal content on it. If you ultimately decide that the Kindle's hardware is better for you than the Nook, I don't think you should be put off by a lack of library access because you can easily find a solution to that problem on Google.

That being said, I did point out that I'm biased. I definitely think you should go to a B&N store (if you have any around where you live) and play with the Nook on display. See if you are bothered by typing on the touchscreen at all. Some people don't mind it a bit and they really like that they can browse their library by book cover in color. Just know that with the Kindle's tactile buttons, you may be able to navigate a bit faster. Definitions also come up a lot faster because the Kindle allows a preview of the definition to pop up at the bottom or top of the page, which usually suffices. The Nook takes more time to pull up the full definition each time. My point about better readers coming out in the not-too-distant future still stands, of course. Just some things for you to consider.
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Old 09-13-2010, 01:02 AM   #15
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Another Thought.............think about a 10"netbook. Small, portable, you can read anything on it, pdf's, textbooks, library books.........anything. AND you have internet access.

I've noticed l can read much more comfortably on my netbook than my pc.

You can read in bed with it propped on your tummy, very lightweight.......download k4pc or nook app, download adobe digital editions and mobipocket for library books, all free apps.

I have an asus HE1000 and my battery life is right around 8 hrs.....pretty dang good.

I see ebook readers making huge advances in the coming years. By the time you really need one for college, I'd be will to think the pdf probs will be solved.
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